From takeout food to online shopping, more people are leveraging the safety and convenience of ordering online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As unprecedented as this moment in time is, consumers’ shifting purchasing habits have a silver lining—people are paying more attention to the sustainability of product packaging. While the pandemic has compounded an environmental crisis, consumers are paying attention to issues of sustainability in a different way and prioritizing the need for greater packaging sustainability. As we navigate this “new normal,” our awareness of just how much we are consuming has sharpened our focus on the need to advance toward a circular economy for a more sustainable world. In navigating the road to greater sustainability in packaging, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Companies and customers must have access to a variety of solutions and be provided with multiple opportunities to make more sustainable choices. How do we gain traction on our journey toward a more circular economy? In a word: collaboration.

Cascades is pleased to announce that its fourth Sustainability Action Plan was a winner in the Medium and Large Business category of the Prix initiatives circulaires presented by Québec Circulaire. This competition recognizes initiatives that redefine business models, and production and consumption methods, so as to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Québec. Cascades' fourth Sustainability Action Plan, launched last spring, has been recognized as a catalyst for change in support of a circular business model; its "solutions driven" commitments, among the Plan's four main pillars, are the basis for this recognition. For the first time in its history, Cascades has set itself an eco-design target: 100% of the packaging manufactured and sold by the company will be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030.

Arrow Systems, Inc. has announced a partnership with Sihl Group to pair the Arrowjet Aqua 330R with the Sihl ARTYSIO line of flexible packaging materials. This partnership allows customers looking for ways to digitally print and pack flexible packaging inline in a single production step up to 12.75’’ wide with water based, pigment inkjet. “We feel that the flexible packaging space is one that has enormous growth potential," says Shaan Patel of Arrow Systems, Inc. “We understand that the majority of customers in this space are currently outsourcing their flexible packaging needs because, in the past it has been too costly or difficult to produce them in-house. We believe that the combination of the Sihl materials with our pigment inkjet press will allow more customers to begin producing their own short run flexible packaging.”